Apparatus for assembling and regulating a grand piano action

Abstract

A practical means to position and adjust the parts of a grand piano's action outside of the piano to fit and play properly, precisely, and as expected in the piano. A custom keybed supports the action as supported in the piano and secures its position. A regulating rack holds one or more reference edges above the action to delineate strike position (the location of hammer-to-string contact in the piano) and those distances from strike required for regulating. It also records hammer spacing at strike. A hammer squaring platform allows a shank traveler and hammer square to set up the hammers to address their strings vertically. And a string height gage assembly, including gage, sliding base, and rail, measures and records strike position in the piano to accurately set up the regulating rack's reference edges.

1. A regulation station for a grand piano action, comprising:
 a regulating rack having:
 a first regulating rack leg slidably attached to a first rigid track; and 
 a second regulating rack leg slidably attached to a second rigid track, wherein 
 a template adapted to span between the first regulating rack leg and the second regulating rack leg, the template providing a representation of the strings of a grand piano along the strike line and further comprising a string height gage having a plunger, movable along a straight rail, to measure string heights of a grand piano. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The regulation station of  claim 1 , further comprising a template rail spanning between the first regulating rack leg and the second regulating rack leg, wherein the template is adjustably secured to the template rail and the template rail is adjustably secured to the first and second regulating rack legs. 
     
     
       3. The regulation station of  claim 1 , wherein the template is a whole action template. 
     
     
       4. A regulation station for a grand piano action, comprising:
 a regulating rack having:
 a first regulating rack leg slidably attached to a first rigid track; and 
 a second regulating rack leg slidably attached to a second rigid track, wherein 
 
 a template adapted to span between the first regulating rack leg and the second regulating rack leg, the template providing a representation of the strings of a grand piano along the strike line and further comprising a string height gage having a plunger, movable along a straight rail, to measure string heights of a grand piano, wherein, upon the plunger can be permanently recorded sample string height measurements for a specific grand piano. 
 
     
     
       5. The regulation station of  claim 4 , wherein the straight rail is adapted to be positioned on a keybed of a grand piano so that an edge of the plunger follows the strike line of the grand piano action. 
     
     
       6. A regulation station for a grand piano action, comprising:
 a regulating rack having: 
 a first regulating rack leg slidably attached to a first rigid track; and 
 a second regulating rack leg slidably attached to a second rigid track, wherein 
 a template adapted to span between the first regulating rack leg and the second regulating rack leg, the template providing a representation of the strings of a grand piano along the strike line and further comprising a custom keybed adapted to support the grand piano action outside of a grand piano. 
 
     
     
       7. The regulation station of  claim 6 , wherein the custom keybed is adapted to support the regulating rack. 
     
     
       8. The regulation station of  claim 6 , wherein the custom keybed includes bedding blocks for supporting the grand piano action. 
     
     
       9. The regulation station of  claim 8 , wherein the custom keybed includes two keyframe holddowns for securing the grand piano action. 
     
     
       10. The regulation station of  claim 6 , wherein the custom keybed is portable. 
     
     
       11. The regulation station of  claim 6 , wherein the custom keybed is adapted to be secured to a benchtop. 
     
     
       12. A regulation station for a grand piano action, comprising:
 a regulating rack having: 
 a first regulating rack leg slidably attached to a first rigid track; and 
 a second regulating rack leg slidably attached to a second rigid track, wherein 
 a template adapted to span between the first regulating rack leg and the second regulating rack leg, the template providing a representation of the strings of a grand piano along the strike line and further comprising a squaring platform, the squaring platform including:
 a squaring platform tray spanning in between the first and second rigid tracks in a portable regulation station; 
 a sliding top slidable along the squaring platform; 
 a hammer square on the sliding top; and 
 a shank traveler on the sliding top.